UGA sends acceptance letters to Class of 2010

Posted: Saturday, April 01, 2006

The University of Georgia has offered slots in this fall's freshman class to more than 8,600 students in letters to be mailed out this weekend, just more than half the number of applications UGA received this year.

An additional 600 students have been put on a waiting list, the university said Friday.

UGA officials anticipate about 4,800 students actually will enroll in fall semester classes, up about 200 from last year.

The hoped-for "yield" of 4,800 freshmen is tied to a University System Board of Regents target for overall enrollment of about 32,500 at UGA.

For the second straight year, offers to black and Hispanic students went up - more than 600 black and nearly 200 Hispanic students. It probably is the largest number of black and Hispanic students offered admission since UGA stopped using race as an admissions factor, said Nancy McDuff, UGA's associate vice president for admissions and enrollment management.

UGA stopped considering race in admissions decisions in 2000 after a 1997 lawsuit challenged the university's admissions policy. UGA also has dropped other factors that once helped in gaining admission, including being male or being the child of a UGA graduate.

Those offered admission in the class of 2010 come from 153 of Georgia's 159 counties and 431 state high schools.

The 15,800 applications UGA received this year was a record high. That's about 18 percent more than the two highest applicant totals in recent years, about 13,400 in 1995 and 1999.

It's too early to say whether next fall's freshman also will set a new standard for academic qualifications, but, overall, the students offered admission look a lot like last year's outstanding class, McDuff said.

Admissions officials will have a better idea May 1. That's the deadline for students to mail in a non-refundable deposit of $200 to reserve a place in the freshman class.

Applicants who were not offered admission to UGA are being advised to look elsewhere within the state's network of public colleges and universities, McDuff said.

When students apply to UGA, they're divided into three groups. Those with the strongest résumés and without glaring blemishes go into a "superior" group to be granted admission based on their strong academic records. Some go into a group considered not "competitive," who won't be offered admission.

A third middle group, about 5,500 this year, is classified as competitive, where each individual application is carefully reviewed by UGA admissions workers not just for academics, but factors such as intellectual curiosity, maturity, leadership and whether they will add to or benefit from UGA's diversity, McDuff said.

Applicants who do not want to wait for UGA's letter to arrive can go online to check their status at the UGA admissions office Web site, www.uga.edu/admissions.